Tuesday, December 4, 2012
I have moved
I have finally decided to put my 3 blogs all into one place. And I am finally blogging again. Find me at pinkowlsweets.com
Friday, January 6, 2012
Wedding cake tips
By doing things wrong I have learned some valuable lessons I don't want to forget.
-I use crisco and flour to prepare my pans so the cakes won't stick. What is also helpful is to line the bottom of the pan with wax paper. This has saved many cakes for me.
-Freezing the cakes before filling and crumb coating is actually important. When the cakes are at room temperature they tend to slid around and not stay put. I covered them in two layers of plastic wrap to keep them moist.
-Cutting the cakes is easier after they have been chilled.
-The frosting used to make the dam needs to be very thick frosting, thicker then what I would use to frost the outside of the cake. If it is not thick enough it will spill out and show even after I have put my fondant on.
-Wait at least 12 hours after filling to put on the fondant. This gives it time to settle.
-Putting them then in the fridge in preparation for the fondant is also very helpful.
-After I had my fondant all rolled out I pulled the cakes out of the fridge and gave them a nice small mist of water using my spray bottle. This helped the fondant to stick to the hardened butter cream.
-Next time I need to make flowers make them more then a month in advance so that I am not overwhelmed. Also try to mix gum paste with a small amount of fondant. This way they might not be so hard. The flowers could have been used as ninja weapons.
-To attach the flowers and pearls I used a small paintbrush to apply the edible glue. Why I have not done that before is the beyond me. So much easier then what I have down in the past.
Remember that doing wedding cakes is more time consuming then I think and charge accordingly. Also remember to say no if I am not excited about the design. I was excited to try the flowers on this last cake since I had never done that before.
-I use crisco and flour to prepare my pans so the cakes won't stick. What is also helpful is to line the bottom of the pan with wax paper. This has saved many cakes for me.
-Freezing the cakes before filling and crumb coating is actually important. When the cakes are at room temperature they tend to slid around and not stay put. I covered them in two layers of plastic wrap to keep them moist.
-Cutting the cakes is easier after they have been chilled.
-The frosting used to make the dam needs to be very thick frosting, thicker then what I would use to frost the outside of the cake. If it is not thick enough it will spill out and show even after I have put my fondant on.
-Wait at least 12 hours after filling to put on the fondant. This gives it time to settle.
-Putting them then in the fridge in preparation for the fondant is also very helpful.
-After I had my fondant all rolled out I pulled the cakes out of the fridge and gave them a nice small mist of water using my spray bottle. This helped the fondant to stick to the hardened butter cream.
-Next time I need to make flowers make them more then a month in advance so that I am not overwhelmed. Also try to mix gum paste with a small amount of fondant. This way they might not be so hard. The flowers could have been used as ninja weapons.
-To attach the flowers and pearls I used a small paintbrush to apply the edible glue. Why I have not done that before is the beyond me. So much easier then what I have down in the past.
Remember that doing wedding cakes is more time consuming then I think and charge accordingly. Also remember to say no if I am not excited about the design. I was excited to try the flowers on this last cake since I had never done that before.
Another wedding cake
I was really excited to do something a little more detailed for a wedding cake. I didn't however realize how time consuming this one would be.My client is allergic to soy. Which means everything I usually use in my vegan cooking was out the window. I learned how to make the perfect fattening fluffy white cake. Lemon curd with real butter and fondant without using crisco.
I also learned how to make these beautiful flowers that took roughly 20 minutes a piece to make. I am sure if I did it more often I would become much more proficient. I was pleased with the outcome.
Next on my wedding want-to list is a colored cake with different shapes/colors for flowers. Anyone want to pay me to make that?
I have been making cakes... really, I have proof.
I made this cake for a friend. I love when someone gives me complete creative license when they ask for a cake. Her little girl was having a pj party and she loves Princesses Snow White being her favorite. While making this cake I think I achieved Cake decorating Flow. That place where everything comes together and the creativity just comes. Making it was so rewarding. I think I love making things I have never made before.
The head and foot boards are cleft over cake I covered with fondant. I colored the fondant brown and then cut wood grain into it with a dull knife. I then painted on it with brown food coloring mixed lemon extract. That helped to give it the stained look.
The blanket is just fondant. The bird and mushrooms are also fondant.
Emma loves to help make her cakes and she is super artistic. This year I let her splatter paint her cake. SO easy and she had so much fun. I melted frosting in the microwave for maybe 10-20 seconds. Then with a spoon she literally splattered it.
How happy and fun is that?
This is a little outdated now. I made candy corn cupcakes. Super easy!
The head and foot boards are cleft over cake I covered with fondant. I colored the fondant brown and then cut wood grain into it with a dull knife. I then painted on it with brown food coloring mixed lemon extract. That helped to give it the stained look.The blanket is just fondant. The bird and mushrooms are also fondant.
Emma loves to help make her cakes and she is super artistic. This year I let her splatter paint her cake. SO easy and she had so much fun. I melted frosting in the microwave for maybe 10-20 seconds. Then with a spoon she literally splattered it.
How happy and fun is that?This is a little outdated now. I made candy corn cupcakes. Super easy!
Found a couple old cakes I had made
Sarah wanted a high school musical 2 party a few years ago. If you have seen the movie then the cake will make sense. But I don't recomened going seeing the movie just to understand the cake. Of the three, this one was the lamest. But it did make for a great party theme! And really, that is all that matters.
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